Category Archives: VWW

Clean water quality at Mud Swamp Creek and Sasser Landing, Alapaha River 2023-02-18

Update 2023-02-21: Valdosta says it spilled 672,250 gallons of sewage into the Knights Creek floodplain 2023-02-21.

WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall tested two sites in the Alapaha River Basin Saturday, and got good results at both. And she videoed a waterfall on Mud Swamp Creek.

[Mud Swamp Creek @ Old Clyattville Road, Alapaha River @ Sasser Landing 2023-02-18]
Mud Swamp Creek @ Old Clyattville Road, Alapaha River @ Sasser Landing 2023-02-18

The site at Old Clyattville Road is upstream on Mud Swamp Creek from where Knights Creek comes in, and the site at Sasser Landing on the Alapaha River is downstream from where the Alapahoochee River carries Mud Swamp Creek water into the Alapaha. So if the Valdosta sewage spill of Wednesday, February 15, 2023, ever had any effect on the Alapaha River, that contamination has apparently washed downstream or has been diluted. Continue reading →

Pictures: Trash at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2023-02-09

Will Hart and Amy Meyers got some interesting pictures at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp while practicing their new skill of water quality testing.

Really, boaters and outdoor partiers, leaving the places like this does not encourage people to paddle on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

[Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, trash, firepit, underwear]
Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, trash, firepit, underwear

I know Lowndes County Litter Control comes by weekly and cleans up. But people who leave this mess are wasting tax dollars with extra work.

The individual pictures are below. Continue reading →

Clean rivers 2023-02-16

Update 2023-02-25: Clean Withlacoochee River 2023-02-23.

According to WWALS results for Thursday, happy boating, swimming, and fishing in our rivers this weekend!

Provided you like high water and are prepared to deal with overhanging limbs and getting lost in the floodplain.

I might avoid the Alapaha River at Sasser Landing, due to Valdosta’s Wednesday February 15th probably major spill into Knights Creek.

Valdosta’s other two sewage spills this month, Wednesday, February 8th into Hightower Creek above Sugar Creek and Saturday, February 11th into Cherry Creek probably were too small to have any significant effect on the Withlacoochee River. The WWALS Sunday tests on Cherry Creek and the river appear to have verified that lack of effect for that one, and regular test results after the Hightower Creek one ditto.

No other recent sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida: just Valdosta. Continue reading →

Valdosta River Street sewage spill into Hightower Creek 2023-02-08

Update 2023-02-24: Another Valdosta E. Park Ave. sewage spill, 171,750 gallons 2023-02-20

Update 2023-02-18: Clean rivers 2023-02-16.

This one showed up Tuesday, February 14th in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report, reporting a Valdosta spill of the previous Wednesday, February 8, 2023.

[Spill report, manhole, map]
Spill report, manhole, map

The reason given was “Pipe failure”.

The good part is that with only 1,170 gallons spilled, there was probably little effect on Sugar Creek and none to worry about on the Withlacoochee River. Nothing unusual showed up in water quality testing by Valdosta or WWALS for that day or the next two.

Below is a map of the area, and a Google streetview of my best guess of where it was, going by Valdosta’s sloppy week-late report of “1700 block of River St”. Continue reading →

Valdosta sewer main collapse, US 84, effects to E. Park Ave., along Knights Creek 2023-02-15

Update 2023-02-21: Valdosta says it spilled 672,250 gallons of sewage into the Knights Creek floodplain 2023-02-21.

Update 2023-02-21: Clean water quality at Mud Swamp Creek and Sasser Landing, Alapaha River 2023-02-18.

Update 2023-02-17: Valdosta River Street sewage spill into Hightower Creek 2023-02-08.

Well, this sounds like a major Valdosta sewage spill, next to Knights Creek, which flows into Mud Swamp Creek, the Alapahoochee River, the Alapaha River, and the Suwannee River.

[Sewer main @ US 84, VALORGIS, ARWT]
Sewer main @ US 84, VALORGIS, ARWT

Neither this spill, nor last week’s minor spill, yet show up in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report.

Received yesterday evening. I’ve added all the maps and images. Valdosta did not even name Knights Creek, referring only to “the low-lying area.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
DATE: Thursday, February 16, 2023
CONTACT: Sharah Denton, Community Relations & Marketing Manager
Telephone: (229) 259-3548
sdenton@valdostacity.com
www.valdostacity.com

Sewer Main Collapse and Emergency Repairs

The City of Valdosta Utilities Department received communication from a local business regarding a possible sewer issue at the 1800 block of E. Park Ave on Wednesday, February 15. Continue reading →

From bad to worse: Cherry Creek 2023-02-12

Update 2024-01-28: Four more Valdosta sewage spills 2023-12-17.

Update 2023-02-17: Valdosta sewer main collapse, US 84, effects to E. Park Ave., along Knights Creek 2023-02-15.

The Withlacoochee River tested worse than Cherry Creek for E. coli both upstream and downstream from where Cherry Creek comes in, after Valdosta’s Saturday sewage spill.

[Cherry Creek tests 2023-02-12]
Cherry Creek tests 2023-02-12

So that 2,800 gallons of raw sewage apparently did not materially affect the Withlacoochee River.

But the test results mean it would be wise to steer clear of creeks and rivers for a few days. Continue reading →

Cherry Creek water quality sampling after Valdosta sewage spill 2023-02-12

Update 2023-02-12: From bad to worse: Cherry Creek 2023-02-12.

Valdosta had a small sewage spill Saturday, next to a branch of Cherry Creek. It was probably too small to have much effect on the creek and even less on the Withlacoochee River. WWALS sent water quality testers out to sample anyway.

[Boys & Girls Club Lift Station, Lake Laurie Drive, The Dip, Lake Cleve, Cherry Creek 2023-02-12]
Boys & Girls Club Lift Station, Lake Laurie Drive, The Dip, Lake Cleve, Cherry Creek 2023-02-12

Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson texted me yesterday. He says the spill was first reported to Valdosta Utilities about 7:30 PM and “stopped discharging about 11:00p last night.” He was referring to Saturday, February 11, 2023.

The amount is estimated to be 2,800 gallons. That’s a minor spill (less than 10,000 gallons).

The spill was from Valdosta’s Boys and Girls Club Lift Station, 3658 Lake Laurie Drive, Valdosta, GA 31605. That’s in Valdosta City Council District 5, Tim Carroll. Continue reading →

Clean Thursday from Franklinville to US 41: Withlacoochee River, but raining now 2023-02-09

Update 2023-02-18: Clean rivers 2023-02-16.

Update 2023-02-13: Cherry Creek water quality sampling after Valdosta sewage spill 2023-02-12.

Thanks to new WWALS tester Cindy Vegas for four more Withlacoochee River site results for Thursday, all clean.

But it rained hard yesterday and continues today, so contamination has probably washed into the rivers: all of the Little, Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Suwannee. Maybe not the Santa Fe, but we’ll see.

I wouldn’t swim, fish, or boat in these rivers this weekend.

[Chart with Rain, Withlacoochee River, Swim Guide Map 2023-02-09]
Chart with Rain, Withlacoochee River, Swim Guide Map 2023-02-09

Look at the rain for yesterday, Friday: 1.67 inches at the Skipper Bridge Gauge, in the same stretch of river she sampled Thursday. Cat Creek comes in between Franklinville and Skipper Bridge, so it is very likely that contamination washed into the river yesterday. Continue reading →

Clean rivers before rain 2023-02-09

Update 2023-02-11: Clean Thursday from Franklinville to US 41: Withlacoochee River, but raining now 2023-02-09.

Good news: all WWALS tests pretty clean for yesterday’s samples, on the Little, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers.

Warning: It’s raining, and will more tomorrow, so contamination may wash into the rivers from creeks such as Okapilco, Sugar, and Cat Creek.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map

No new sewer spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida, not since the two Rochelle, GA, spills of January 30th that we discussed in the previous post.

Thanks to Continue reading →

New week river water quality update 2023-02-06

Update 2023-02-10: Clean rivers before rain 2023-02-09.

Here’s an update between our weekly WWALS water quality reports.

Three more downstream WWALS Withlacoochee River test sites matched the upstream ones for Thursday, February 2nd, as predicted.

However, not as predicted, Valdosta got too-high upstream results for Friday, February 3rd, at GA 133 and US 84 (but not at US 41). So apparently the drizzle of rain that Thursday did wash something into the river. However, Valdosta’s results for Monday at the same sites are all good, so whatever it was, it was short-lived.

And Rochelle, Georgia, got around to reporting another small far-upstream sewage spill in the Alapaha River basin.

[Chart, Withlacoochee River, Swim Guide, 2023-02-02]
Chart, Withlacoochee River, Swim Guide, 2023-02-02

The additional downstream sites I sampled last Thursday were the Continue reading →